Ashanti

1	Intro
2	Foolish
3	Happy feat. Ja Rule
4	Leaving (Always on Time Part II)
5	Skit
6	Call
7	Scared
8	Rescue
9	Baby
10	Voodoo
11	Movies
12	Over
13	Unfoolish

Barnes & Noble

Newcomer Ashanti caught the eye of Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti because of her exceptional singing and writing skills -- not to mention her stunning beauty. After being signed to the label, the 21-year-old collaborated with Inc. star Ja Rule on three tracks on his Pain Is Love disc -- most notably the smash single "Always On Time." And this new princess of hip-hop soul is sure to continue her lucky streak with her self-titled debut, kicked off by the DeBarge/Notorious B.I.G.-sampled lead single, "Foolish." Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

Young, pretty, sexy, stylish, and hip, Ashanti is everything a modern, post-hip-hop soul crooner should be. She looks the part, trucks with hitmakers -- at the time her eponymous debut was released, she was featured on a hit single by Fat Joe -- and even approximates Alicia Keys' visuals on the back cover. She can sing, but she's not showy; she never hyperventilates, she croons. Her first album sounds modern, with fairly fresh beats and lightly insistent hooks, and is just naughty enough to warrant a parental advisory sticker (though if you're just listening to this record, it's nigh on impossible to figure out where the objectionable lines are). So why doesn't Ashanti play as greater than the sum of its parts? Largely because it lacks distinctive material, in either terms of the actual songs or the production -- and when that's combined with a singer who is good, yet not distinctive herself, the entire production sounds as if its treading water or providing nifty aural wallpaper. It's not bad by any means, and it has its moments, but at 17 tracks, including skits, it all becomes a blur. A pleasing blur, one that shows promise, but a blur all the same. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rolling Stone

Ashanti Douglas' voice is the perfect radio-ready R&B instrument: strong enough to ride over street-savvy beats but unassuming enough to be open to interpretation; better than Britney but less distinctive than Mary J. Blige. Kris X